HISD school board member Larry Marshallspoke at the groundbreaking ceremony for renovations at Worthing High School in March 2012. Fort Bend Mechanical was the contractor on the project at the time. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle)

Houston school board member Larry Marshall has withdrawn his request to halt the civil lawsuit that accuses him of taking part in a bribery and kickback scheme involving district contracts.

The original request, filed in federal court a month ago, said Marshall wanted to stay the lawsuit against him pending the outcome of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Marshall’s new motion, filed this week, does not explain why he now wants to proceed with the case. His new attorney, Richard Morris, could not be reached Friday.

Marshall’s request to halt the case was filed by his prior law firm. He has not explained why he changed attorneys.

U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison indicated at a hearing last month that he was not inclined to grant Marshall’s motion to put the lawsuit on hold. A trial is scheduled for October, though parties still can file motions asking the judge to dismiss the lawsuit.

Gil Ramirez Jr., a Houston construction contractor, is suing Marshall, his business associate, the Houston Independent School District and two competing companies, RHJ-JOC and Fort Bend Mechanical.